VATICAN CITY
U.S. News
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis’ finance minister is on the move, literally.
Four months after he raised eyebrows by taking up residence in the Vatican bank, Cardinal George Pell is moving out and into the permanent offices of his new economy secretariat.
The move coincides with a major reorganization of the Vatican’s financial structures ordered by Pope Francis as part of his reform of the Vatican’s administration. It also removes any question of Pell’s direct authority over the bank, which is governed by a separate commission of cardinals who report to the pope.
Francis tapped the straight-talking Australian to bring order and efficiency to the Vatican’s complicated finances. Pell has promised a new era of transparency, budgeting accountability and internationally accepted accounting standards, and has been given broad oversight powers.
But he has ruffled feathers within the Vatican’s old guard, and some saw his decision to move into the vacant, spacious presidents’ office of the Vatican bank as a symbolic assertion of control over the institution. Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli noted that Pell’s presence in the bank might have led to confusion about who really ran the show there, him or the cardinal’s commission.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.